Slow ride to the Tower

Adrian Smith reports on Saturday's JOG Nab Tower race

On Saturday 24 April, 76 yachts lined up for the fourth race in the Junior Offshore Group calendar. As the fleet assembled for the first start at 0900hrs, there was a touch of déjà vu about the wind pressure, after Easter’s Cherbourg race - light variable winds - although with a few more shorts on display, crews were optimistic for warmer air temperatures.

A gentle F2-3 easterly breeze had settled in, so it was a beat down to No Man’s Land Fort, the fleets splitting in to ‘deep water channel route’ and ‘north Solent route’. Seem to pay the latter fleet, with slightly more wind and tide. In Class 5, it was Mark Wynter in the Dubois Half Tonner Alchemist, and Kevin Regan and Guy Nicholls in their Formula 28 Dick Dastardly leading their fleet.

In Class 4, the X-332s, Exactly and X-to-Sea were leading the class down the Solent, with the Elan 33 Evelyn R, and the low rating Beneteau 31.7 Electron in hot pursuit. With a high-pressure system sat over the UK, how long would this wind last? Would a sea breeze dominate?

Through the Forts, and the wind conveniently veered to the South East, making it a beat to the Nab Tower. The wind started to fade.

Dick Dastardly hoisted kite and rounded the Nab Tower first, albeit slowly; an indication that the wind was beginning to die even more. With a tidal stream flowing north easterly at the mark, it was important to get round as soon as possible with your own little pack of yachts, otherwise your race could be over with them.

Colin Woodruff’s Laser 28 Blazer was second around. She quickly gybed on to starboard, which turned out to be a good move, and soon overhauled Dick Dastardly. Alchemist followed round in third.

The leading Class 4 yachts also rounded the Nab Tower soon after. Christopher Taylor’s X-332 Exactly had held on to their lead through all the wind shifts, and pressure changes, and rounded just ahead of Steve Blake’s X-332 X-Ploiter, and Evelyn R. The other X-332, X-to-Sea (Steve Maine & Jody Windmiller) had fallen away from the leading pack after hitting a wind hole off Bembridge. Paul Harding’s Beneteau 31.7 Electron was close behind this leading pack, very much leading her class on handicap. Then the wind dropped to nothing. A wind hole had enveloped the Nab Tower. Electron half rounded before parking up alongside a number of Class 5 boats.

For an hour, Nab Tower was a no-wind zone. A cruel hand had been played to Electron, and the Class 5 boats around her. Even more galling was for Electron to watch the next Class 4 boat, One Life (Sunfast 37) manage to get round 30 minutes later! With a little bit of breeze, and less tide, Electron finally got around the Nab Tower an hour later.

Minnie the Moocher, another casualty of the wind hole, had to play second fiddle to Tom Hayhoe and Natalie Jobling’s Prima 38 Mostly Harmless to be leading Class 3 yacht around Nab. A steady stream of boats followed.

A run back in 6-8 kts of wind to the Forts, and a reach under spinnaker to the finish off Gurnard, saw little place changes at the front. As a final sting in the tail the wind headed off the Medina river at Cowes, and the yachts crossed the line on a beat. Exactly in Class 4 was the first to cross the line at just before 5pm, and winning the class on corrected. She was closely followed by the Class 5 yacht Blazer who likewise won her class on corrected. It was a good 40 minutes later than Minnie the Moocher crossed the line, the first ‘big’ boat finisher of Class 3. Indicative of the effect that the Nab Tower wind hole had had on the race. She lost the race on corrected time to the Prima 38 Mostly Harmless.

For the majority of the fleet, the slow progress to the Nab Tower cost them in fair tide back up the Solent to the finish. Only 27 yachts completed the race in the end. A special mention should be made of the crew of X-to-Sea (X-332) who kept on racing. Although the last boat to cross the finish line at 2100, some 11.5 hrs of sailing later, it did earn them an 8th and last in class 4, but out of 30 starters it could end up being a useful points result at the end of the season. A delayed evening party at The Square Rigger, Port Hamble marina afterwards helped soothe many competitors’ frustration. St. Vaast Race is next over the Bank Holiday. The old sages say this will be a windy one!

Class 3

1 Mostly Harmless Tom Hayhoe/Natalie Jobling
2 Minnie the Moocher Anthony Richards
3 Bounty Hunter Rodney Emburson

Double-handed race
1 Arcsine Kathy Claydon

Class 4
1 Exactly Christopher Taylor
2 Evelyn R Jonathan Yorke/Rory Carter
3 X-Ploiter Steve Blake

Double handed race
1 Just Enough Andy Hill

Class 3
1 Blazer Colin Woodruff
2 Dick Dastardly Kevin Reagan & Guy Nicholls
3 Oxygen Michael Birmingham

Double handed race
1 Moonshine D. Watson/J. Moon
2 Vela Eddie & Helen Smith